Utahn voted off tribe, sent to Redemption Island on 'Survivor: Blood vs. Water'

Jeff Probst extinguishes Utahn Rachel Foulger's torch at Tribal Council during the second episode of "Survivor: Blood vs. Water," on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Monty Brinton, CBS Broadcasting

Summary

Utahn Rachel Foulger was voted off her tribe and sent to Redemption Island on Wednesday evening’s episode of “Survivor: Blood vs. Water." Foulger has to battle individually to rejoin the game unless her boyfriend wants to take her spot.

The 33-year-old graphic designer and waitress from Provo looked back at her tribe and said, “Peace, guys” as she left.

On Redemption Island, Foulger has to individually battle the other voted-off castaways for a spot back in the game starting with next week's episode. Or her boyfriend, Tyson Apostol, 34, a former pro cyclist who was on "Survivor: Tocantins" and "Heroes vs. Villains," can switch places with her — which is what Foulger’s tribemates want to happen to weaken the opposing Galang Tribe of returning players.

This season of “Survivor” has unexpected twists that make each vote complicated.

“There are probably more layers to votes this season than we’ve ever had before,” host Jeff Probst said.

“Survivor” is a 39-day reality series that puts castaways in a primitive yet picturesque area — this season they are in the Filippino Caramoan Islands — as they try to outwit, outlast and outplay each other to win $1 million and be named that season’s “sole survivor.”

This season, 10 previous players are back with a loved one — including siblings, spouses, significant others, children and relatives.

During last week’s season premiere, the 10 pairs spent the night in the jungle alone, and that first morning on the beach, Probst announced they would divide into tribes of returning players and loved ones.

And immediately, each tribe had to vote someone off to be sent to Redemption Island.

The returning players, or Galang Tribe, voted off 30-year-old Candice Cody, who was on “Survivor: Cook Islands” and “Heroes vs. Villains,” and the tribe of loved ones called the Tadhana Tribe voted off 44-year-old Laura Boneham, wife of Rupert Boneham, 49, who competed on “Survivor: Pearl Island,” “All Stars” and “Heroes vs. Villains.”

In the twist of Redemption Island, if a castaway’s loved one is voted out, he or she has the option to switch spots with the loved one on Redemption Island and compete in the individual duels.

Rupert Boneham switched with his wife and she joined the returning players’ tribe, but Candice Cody didn’t switch with her husband, John, 30.

The returning players won the immunity challenge, sending the tribe of loved ones to Tribal Council. They voted out 21-year-old Marissa Peterson, niece of returning player Gervase Peterson, 43, of “Survivor: Borneo,” in part for Gervase’s excessive celebrating when he just barely made it through the swimming part of the challenge that including swimming, climbing, rowing and a puzzle.

On Wednesday’s episode, Candice Cody won the first Redemption Island duel on day 4 and Marissa Peterson was safe, sending Rupert Boneham home. The challenge was to use a pole to thread 10 spools through channels in a metal structure sitting on a spring and stack the spools on top of the swaying structure.

Rupert Boneham said he had no regrets.

“This is a great game and I love ‘Survivor,'” he said before leaving. “But I love my wife more.”

Candice also won a clue to the hidden Immunity Idol that she gave to her husband, which he didn’t share with anyone.

Many of the players on both tribes got emotional as they saw if their loved one was safe or not.

The five men on the Tadhana Tribe of loved ones have formed an alliance spearheaded by Brad Culpepper, 44, an attorney and retired NFL player. The alliance includes John Cody; 33-year-old Vytas Baskauskas; 26-year-old Hayden Moss, the winner of season 12 of “Big Brother”; and 26-year-old Caleb Bankston.

“I’m a girl; in this tribe, I’m a minority,” Foulger said, recognizing she was at risk. “I am living in a man’s world right now, which is why my strategy is to really play it cool with the guys, be in with the guys and try to work with them.”

Foulger had talked to John Cody about a possible alliance, and the other two women on the tribe weren’t too pleased.

“I think that alliances are just starting to form,” Foulger said. “I think there is a lot more going on than what it looks like just at camp.”

But the strategy of some on the five-men alliance is to vote someone off whose loved one is a strong player on the other tribe and would switch with them on Redemption Island, thus weakening the Galang Tribe overall.

The five-guy alliance targeted Apostol because he is a strong asset to the Galang Tribe and planned to vote off Foulger.

That plan left John Cody conflicted because if Apostol does decide to switch with Foulger, Apostol is going to compete against Candice Cody.

Foulger did try to work out an agreement with John Cody.

And the Tadhana Tribe lost the Immunity Reward Challenge, which had three people tied together and rolling another in a barrel to four different flagpoles to gather bags of balls and throwing the balls into holes, as well as the reward of fishing gear, leaving them headed to their second Tribal Council.

The five guys, even with John Cody hesitating, stuck to their plan of voting out Foulger because of the possibility of Apostol switching with her.

Ciera Eastin, 24, daughter of Laura Morett, 43, of “Survivor: Samoa,” and Katie Collins, 25, whose mother Tina Wesson, 52, was the winner of “Survivor: Australia” and a participant on “All Stars,” decided to swing their votes to John Cody just in case he had the idol and gave it to Foulger.

Cody, whether he had the idol, didn’t play it, and Foulger's torch was snuffed. She joined Candice Cody and Marissa Peterson at Redemption Island.

“It wasn’t a huge surprise to me as a girl in a guy-dominated tribe,” Foulger told them. “It is a really close tribe, like they’re all friends, but I think it’s going to change now.”

All wasn’t happy on the Galang Tribe.

Colton Cumbie, 22, who was medically evacuated from “Survivor: One World,” started twisting words and spreading rumors. He was irritated by the other players not wanting to strategize. Cumbie wanted to lose the Immunity Challenge and go to Tribal Council.

“I think it’s interesting with Colton,” said Apostol, who spearheaded starting fire without flint on the first day. “I think he came out here wanting to be different than the person he was. And he pretended to be for a day and a half or something.”

Apostol is now in a five-person alliance with Gervase Peterson, Wesson, Aras Baskauskas, 31, winner of “Survivor: Panama,” and Monica Culpepper, 42, of “Survivor: One World,” who previously played with Cumbie.

In “Survivor,” there are physical and puzzle challenges that determine tribal immunity and, at times, reward, and the losing team heads to Tribal Council, where they vote someone out. The tribes merge, generally about halfway through the 39-day contest, and then the challenges determine individual immunity. Usually after the tribes merge, the voted-out players comprise a jury that will determine which of the final three will be named “sole survivor” and win the $1 million.

Christine Rappleye is an editor and reporter for the Deseret News, where she works on the features sections, including the Food/Health section and book reviews, and Mormon Times. She previously worked for the Beaumont more ..